Small internal combustion engines may be used in various devices including recreational vehicles and garden implements such as chain saws, lawn mowers and string trimmers. Some of these devices have pull cord type starting systems that require a retractable cord to be pulled by a user of the device to start it. In a recoil starter mechanism, pulling the cord rotates a recoil pulley which, through a one way clutch, rotates a crank shaft of the engine to start the engine.